1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to improvements in anchors for poured concrete, metal deck or wood deck ceilings in multi-story buildings, and more particularly, pertains to new and improved threaded anchors that are attached to the metal or wood deck prior to pouring of the concrete so that when the concrete sets, these anchors may be used as support points for suspended utilities such as plumbing pipes, mechanical piping, mechanical equipment, cable trays, bus ducts, HVAC ducts, electrical conduit, conduit racks, junction boxes and panels, or for seismic bracing for example.
2. Description of Related Art
Various concrete inserts or anchors have been used to retain support rods in poured concrete ceilings. Examples of such devices are described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,240,697, granted Jun. 5, 2001 and U.S. Pat. No. 7,093,400, granted Aug. 22, 2006.
The anchors described therein perform their functions satisfactorily. U.S. Pat. No. 6,240,697, for example describes an anchor that has the capability of accepting two different diameter threaded rod. However, the threaded rod has to be threaded into the anchor, located in the concrete ceiling, from the floor below. Because such anchors are utilized in high rise buildings in large quantity, threading a rod into each anchor is a very time consuming and inefficient procedure.
Quick acting nut or coupling assemblies which facilitate quick connection of a bolt by an initial axial insertion of the bolt into the specially designed nut and subsequent rotation of the bolt to tighten, are known in the art. An example of such a structure can be found in U.S. Pat. No. 5,427,488, granted Jun. 27, 1995 and U.S. Pat. No. 6,361,260, granted Mar. 26, 2002. The quick connecting nut or coupling assembly described in these patents require that a threaded bolt pass through the entire nut assembly starting at an input aperture and out an output aperture. U.S. Pat. No. 5,468,105 illustrates a quick connecting anchor for a wood deck poured concrete slab that uses sliding threaded segments like shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,427,488 and 6,361,260. The anchor has a closed top. Threaded rod is connected by an axial insertion. The anchor is constructed so that the threads on the sliding segments engage the rod threads some distance away from the rod end.
The concrete inserts illustrated in U.S. Pat. No. 6,240,697 and U.S. Pat. No. 7,093,400, do not use a quick connect nut structure. They have one open end for threading a rod or bolt against a closed end. These concrete anchors do not provide a user with a visual indication of full engagement. Even when the threaded rod or bolt cannot be turned any further in the anchor, full engagement is not assured. Use of a quick connect coupling assembly such as described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,427,488, and U.S. Pat. No. 6,361,260, and the anchor described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,468,105, do not provide visual feedback of full engagement to a user inserting a rod into the anchor from the floor below. The user is left unsure of whether the threaded rod is fully engaged with the coupling segments of the anchor. Furthermore, these quick connect devices do not contemplate accepting more than one diameter of threaded rod.
The present invention provides a quick connecting threaded anchor for poured concrete, metal or wood decks, which allow for quick connection, by axial insertion of different diameter threaded rods in one anchor, while at the same time providing visual feedback that the threaded rod has been fully engaged by the anchor. Such a visual indication is critical for installation in high rise buildings that use the inserts as support for ducts, electrical conduits and the like, and require an anchor that will meet seismic requirements.